Pune: Investigations into the July 30 Prabhat road robbery case has revealed that the suspects had struck the same house five year before. Interestingly, the FIR in the old case had mentioned stolen items worth only Rs 5 lakh, whereas the actual stolen amount was Rs 63 lakh including Rs 50 lakh cash and Rs 13 lakh worth gold ornaments. Further, the suspects confessed during the interrogation that they had used the cash to purchase a bungalow and flat in Manjari and Bhugaon respectively.
The incident had happened on July 30 at 6:30 am at a flat owned by one Modak family on the first floor of Green Society on Prabhat Road in Deccan area. The suspect had gained entry into the house by climbing on a drain pipe. The elderly woman, the house owner, was threatened by the suspect with a sharp weapon.
Deccan police had arrested the suspect involved in this case, who was identified as Somnath Bandu Bansode (47), a resident of Ramnagar in Warje. He was booked under section 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.
While interrogating Somnath, Deccan police unearthed interesting information. Somnath revealed that he along with his cousin Sudhakar Murlidhar Bansode (37), a resident of Samruddhi Colony in Ghavate Vasti at Manjari Budruk had struck the same house in 2015. Somnath informed police that in 2015 robbery, the duo had stolen Rs 50 lakh cash and gold ornaments worth Rs 13 lakh. When police verified their claims, they came across the FIR which had mentioned stolen items worth Rs 4 lakh cash and gold ornaments worth Rs 1 lakh.
Based on this information, police took Sudhakar into custody and interrogated him independently. Sudhakar also corroborated the incident. Then police contacted the complainant Modak who confessed to having mentioned incorrect information in the FIR. Mr Modak told police that he gave false information in FIR as he feared that his wife wouldn't tolerate the 'shock'.
Deccan police interrogated Somnath and Sudhakar about the disposal of stolen cash and gold ornaments. Sudhakar told police that he had got Rs 28 lakh from the total stolen items which he used for purchasing one 800 square feet property for Rs 20 lakh, a four-wheeler worth Rs 5.5 lakh and a two-wheeler for Rs 81 thousand. The stolen gold was mortgaged by him at the Mamasaheb Hajare Patsanstha against which he had taken a loan. Somnath had purchased a 1BHK flat in Bhugaon from the stolen cash and sold off the stolen gold ornaments, said police.
